Cameroonian goalkeeper André Onana has once again faced bad luck.
After playing for Italian club Inter Milan in the 2022/23 season, he played for Manchester United against Tottenham on Wednesday night — but suffered the same fate again.
Onana has now set an unusual record in European football by losing three different finals.
He has become an unlucky goalkeeper who lost European finals with three different clubs.
Onana’s first European final was in 2017 with Dutch club Ajax. That Ajax team was full of young talent. But they lost 2-0 to English club Manchester United in the Europa League final, giving Onana his first painful defeat in a European final.
Later, in the 2022/23 season, Onana moved to Inter Milan. He helped Inter reach the UEFA Champions League final after a strong season. But in the final, they lost 1-0 to Manchester City, who won their first Champions League title. For Onana, it was another disappointing loss in a final.
Then, in the 2023/24 season, Onana joined Manchester United. But once again, he faced defeat in a European final. On Wednesday night, Manchester United lost 1-0 to another English club, Tottenham, in the Europa League final.
Because of this loss, Manchester United and Onana will not be playing in any European competitions next season.
In all three finals, Onana performed well individually, but his teams could not win the trophies. Football experts have said, “Even though Onana’s journey is inspiring, he is becoming known as the ‘unlucky hero’ of European finals.”
As of now in the 2024/25 season, Manchester United is in 16th place in the English Premier League — just above the relegation zone. If they had won the Europa League, they would have secured a spot in European football next season.
But losing the Europa League final and struggling in the Premier League has put Manchester United in a disappointing situation.